In the 1987 Oliver Stone classic Wall Street, Michael Douglas’ role as the brazen corporate raider, Gordon Gekko, not only won the actor an Oscar for his performance but iconized his character as the ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. The psychology of success and wealth and the power of capitalism. “Zero-sum beliefs” are the basis of all socialist ideologies.

To paraphrase (again) the British politician and historian Thomas Babington Macaulay: People always think that life has been improving — up until their own time, that is. Somehow they don’t expect ...

One idea unites the left and right lately: a zero-sum view of the world. Unfortunately, nice as it would be to hail a rare instance of ideological harmony, both sides are very much mistaken. Perhaps ...

In our interconnected world, the family dynamic is always evolving. For many, the notion of family expands beyond traditional boundaries to include egg and sperm donors and half-siblings. However, a ...

Source: Artwork by Alexi Berry. Used with permission. In my last post I discussed mindful coupling. And in a post from nearly four years ago, I discussed mindful arguing. This post focuses on an ...

Some situations in life are zero-sum. On Super Bowl Sunday, two teams take the field but only one will emerge victorious, Vince Lombardi Trophy in hand. In a presidential election, only one candidate ...

In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on zero-sum thinking, namely the widespread belief that economic, social, or political gains for one group can only be achieved at the expense of ...

What is the real reason behind Trump’s punitive tariffs? Two beliefs that have frequently wreaked havoc in the past. Throughout history, absurd economic theories have repeatedly caused immense damage.